Beatles Sgt Pepper Applause Dolls

The Beatles Sgt Pepper Applause Dolls are a range of four rag dolls depicting The Beatles in their Sgt Pepper costumes.

Background

The dolls were made by the American manufacturers Determined Productions Inc, who produced them for the toy company Applause Inc.

Applause Inc was a company specialising in stuffed dolls and collectible figurines based on a number of famous characters such as Batman, the Smurfs and the California Raisins. Founded as The Wallace Berrie Company in 1966, they became Applause Inc in 1986 after acquiring the rights to Disney and Sesame Street characters through their purchase on Knickerbocker Toys.

The company also later went on to produce lines based on Star Wars and Looney Tunes characters, before filing for bankruptcy in 2005.

The Beatles Sgt Pepper Dolls were part of a series that included two other ranges – a set wearing black suits and carrying instruments, and another set wearing white stage outfits complete with instruments and a stage set.

The Applause Beatles Sgt Pepper dolls

The dolls were produced under a licence from Apple Corp Ltd, and released in 1987. Each of the dolls (John, Paul, George and Ringo) is dressed in the corresponding costumes worn by the band on the cover of the seminal 1967 album ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.

Each of the dolls is made from cloth, with woollen hair and printed faces, and came with a red plastic stand to keep them upright for display purposes.

How much are Beatles Sgt Pepper Applause Dolls

As with any Beatles memorabilia, the dolls are now sought after by collectors. Dolls in the Sgt Pepper set can sell for between $30 and $100 on auction sites such as eBay, depending on their condition.

A full set of all four including the appropriate stands can sell for $200 - $400, with some specialist dealers charging up to $700 for mint-condition examples.